The Consequences of Longing

The cozy, comfortable and modest little life of a happy couple, Jenny and Clifford Nelson, unravels when Clifford, a 40-something commuter airline pilot, develops heart trouble and loses his job.


Something about the harrowing surgery he endures, and his newly acute awareness of mortality, turns the memory of an old girlfriend -- the first girl he ever loved -- into an obsession: he must find out what became of her. When he does learn her fate, the news appalls him yet does not end his longing for one more moment in her arms.



His search for his lost love reveals a secret Clifford has been keeping from himself all along -- a secret about life and loss that adolescent yearnings merely cloak. Guilt for his older brother's disastrous life reveals itself as his own crisis unfolds.


Told both from Jenny's point of view and Clifford's, "The Consequences of Longing" is about the mysteries and clouds that cloak our lives and loves. Jenny, a woman with memories she works to hide, is the stronger figure -- and yet somehow, for all her strength, she is the most frail and vulnerable.


This is an unusual midlife story with which both men and women can connect.


In addition to the Kindle edition, the book is available as a print-on-demand paperback from Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, Vermont and through Barnes & Noble.


"Skillful, gripping, brilliant story of love, loss, and delusion. Highly recommended" -- Paul Sherman, Goodreads